ESPN’s Eamonn Brennan has taken it a step farther ranking coaching jobs, this time he lists the best posts in the country.
As you would expect, Kentucky is one of the elite jobs, but you probably think it is #1, right?
Nope.
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[B]2. [URL=”http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/96/kentucky-wildcats”]Kentucky[/URL]
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Do you hear that clicking sound? That’s the sound of approximately four million members of Big Blue Nation (give or take a few) readying their angry replies to their beloved program’s placement at … well, anywhere but No. 1 overall.
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Indeed, that may be Kentucky basketball’s greatest strength: its fan base. UK fans are like no other in the sport, and like few others in [/FONT][/COLOR][I]any[/I][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Verdana] sport. The connection between huge swaths of the Commonwealth and the program it cherishes runs as deep as any such connection possibly could. That intensity alone ensures that Kentucky, come hell or high water, will compete for national championships on a regular basis. Big Blue Nation won’t settle for anything less.[/FONT][/COLOR][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]
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That intensity also makes the job an unusually challenging one. Managing the expectations of an entire state — or trying to live up to them — is no easy feat. Few have ever done it better than John Calipari, whose media savvy and insane recruiting acumen have turned Lexington into the country’s annual one-stop shop for future NBA talent. The Wildcats are coming off an Elite Eight, a Final Four, and a national championship in just three seasons, with a score of NBA lottery picks to show for it.
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So why isn’t Kentucky No. 1? To my mind, the only thing holding it back — besides the memory of the pre-Calipari days, and the sneaking suspicion that few others could possibly do the job Calipari has done — is the aging state of Rupp Arena, which is in desperate need of that $300 million renovation that is reportedly coming sometime down the line. Were it not for Calipari’s play-for-me-and-go-pro genuis, would Kentucky have as much to offer the nation’s truly elite prospects?
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We’ll find out eventually, I suppose, but for now, the question is almost moot. As I wrote above, the differences between jobs at this level are almost imperceptible. The point is, Kentucky is one of the truly great programs in the country, backed by the best fans in the sport. If you’re a coach, and Big Blue comes calling, you say yes. It’s really just that simple.
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[URL=”http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/8021169/ranking-nation-top-10-college-basketball-coaching-jobs”]Read Entire Article[/URL]
I think Mr. Brennan has forgotten about the state of the art facilities at the Joe Craft Center, the brand new Wildcat Coal Lodge, and of course all the beautiful women on campus at the University of Kentucky.
So the [URL=”http://www.tarheelblue.com/facilities/unc-smith-center.html”]Dean Dome[/URL] is better??
I beg to differ.
